The Thief of Auschwitz (Audible Audio Edition) Jon Clinch Paul Hecht Edoardo Ballerini Recorded Books Books
Download As PDF : The Thief of Auschwitz (Audible Audio Edition) Jon Clinch Paul Hecht Edoardo Ballerini Recorded Books Books
Told in two intertwining narratives, The Thief of Auschwitz takes readers on a dual journey one into the death camp at Auschwitz with Jacob, Eidel, Max, and Lydia Rosen; the other into the heart of Max himself, now an aged but extremely vital - and outspoken - survivor. Max is a world-renowned painter, and he's about to be honored with a retrospective at the National Gallery in Washington. The truth, though, is that he's been keeping a crucial secret from the art world - indeed from the world at large, and perhaps even from himself - all his life long.
The Thief of Auschwitz reveals that secret, along with others that lie in the heart of a family that's called upon to endure - together and separately - the unendurable.
The Thief of Auschwitz (Audible Audio Edition) Jon Clinch Paul Hecht Edoardo Ballerini Recorded Books Books
Between the title, the subject matter, and the author's history of writing in rich, dark, sometimes nearly biblical prose, it's easy to be intimidated by the thought of reading this book. I for one have a hard time reading overly dark and depressing books, no matter how lyrical or insightful they may prove to be. So I'll admit I dragged my feet before reading this, thinking that the sheer weight of the subject matter would be overwhelming when combined with the gravity of Clinch's prose.But I'm glad I conquered that fear, because it turns out that I'd been psyching myself out. With THIEF, Clinch has chosen a leaner, simpler writing style than he displayed in both FINN and KINGS OF THE EARTH. It's as if he sensed intuitively that the subject matter itself would lend more than enough gravitas to the story he was telling.
With THIEF, Clinch has managed to bring both the enormousness and the enormity (two very different things) of the Holocaust into a framework we can grasp, digest, and empathize with, by exploring the plight of a single family of victims and their encounters with the family of one of their captors. The tragedy and heartbreak that inevitably arise within his story are balanced by the inspiration, hope, and - most of all - the unquenchable humanity to be found within this most inhumane tableau. It's an ambitious book, but Clinch is up to the task, even managing to inject some moments of wry humor as one of his surviving characters rails against the acclaim awarded to an artist with whom he is competing long after the war.
While his previous book, KINGS OF THE EARTH, was almost tactile (olfactory, even) in the impact of the descriptions he used (I swear, sometimes you wanted to take a shower after reading certain passages about the filth and grime in which his characters resided), THIEF is, to me, far more visual in its impact. Clinch's descriptions of two very different artworks that are key to the story are likely to remain embedded in my imagination for years to come. In particular the painting he describes will become so familiar to you, you'll swear you've actually seen it somewhere, despite it being a fictional object.
In short, Clinch keeps getting better and better - read this book to see what I mean. Yes, it will take you to some dark places. But that's no reason to be afraid of it.
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The Thief of Auschwitz (Audible Audio Edition) Jon Clinch Paul Hecht Edoardo Ballerini Recorded Books Books Reviews
Jon Clinch is, in my estimation, the best writer of my generation. Each of his novels is quite different from the one that preceded it, but each is infused with a sharp vision, layers of texture, and deep but subtle insight.
The Thief of Auschwitz is about the Holocaust, but it's mostly about a family. You learn about the horror that is visited upon them, but you also learn about who they were before this atrocity. You understand the deep, fierce family ties that bind them together even as they're torn apart. You learn about the incredible talent mother and son share, and the little nuances of their lives together that infuse it with love and tradition and beauty. Ultimately, you understand all that the world lost when these lives were taken .... the beauty, the potential, the history.
I'm so glad I happened upon Jon Clinch's first book - Finn - a few years ago. I feel like I've found my own Faulkner and Steinbeck. I think the rest of the world is catching on to him now, and I hope he gets the credit he deserves. It must be hard for someone who writes literature to see the careers that are being made with the junk that tops the best seller lists, but I hope he never gives up the good fight.
I read straight through this in one sitting, it was that compelling. This is a small canvas of a story painted against the infamous backdrop of Auschwitz and the Final Solution, and it is perhaps all the more affecting therefore. The voices of the Rosen family ring clearly and piercingly; I couldn't go to bed until the last page was turned. Max's voice, in particular as an old artist awaiting his retrospective at the National Gallery, is gruffly blunt, often piquant and always evocative.
This book proves the premise that to see the immense, sometimes you must look at detail. As the author notes in his Afterword, the Holocaust can overwhelm in its magnitude. By looking at the story of one family, the Rosens, he is able to bring the fate of millions into focus.
After fleeing their home, the Rosens wander from city to village to village seeking refuge from the spreading Nazi terror. Each move leaves them thinner, more diminished, and carrying less to little. Jacob had been a master barber. Eidel, his wife, had been a gifted painter. Her one remaining painting of the luminous face of her daughter Lydia is the only one that enters the camps. Max is a young boy on the edge of his life. At Auschwitz, their lives are pared down to stark survival. Eidel remembers "the days of looking forward.", but no longer has those after the death of Lydia. Max and Jacob labor as slaves.
In telling these stories, we are given knight to the differing fates of the thousands around the. Clinch paints clear pictures of the decisions fated to the camp inmates. He sees the authority stiffened bearing of men who are other wise of small import. Capos, inmate leaders, emerge as " the prisoner begins to confuse himself with those who have imprisoned them.". The Rosen's forced choices emerge as they find each other, just as those around them.
With memories contrasting with the present day, this book glows with the burdens of bearing witness. The language is clear. The author resists the temptation to embroider horror, it needs no drama to impress. While looking at the tree, we are shown a forest.
Between the title, the subject matter, and the author's history of writing in rich, dark, sometimes nearly biblical prose, it's easy to be intimidated by the thought of reading this book. I for one have a hard time reading overly dark and depressing books, no matter how lyrical or insightful they may prove to be. So I'll admit I dragged my feet before reading this, thinking that the sheer weight of the subject matter would be overwhelming when combined with the gravity of Clinch's prose.
But I'm glad I conquered that fear, because it turns out that I'd been psyching myself out. With THIEF, Clinch has chosen a leaner, simpler writing style than he displayed in both FINN and KINGS OF THE EARTH. It's as if he sensed intuitively that the subject matter itself would lend more than enough gravitas to the story he was telling.
With THIEF, Clinch has managed to bring both the enormousness and the enormity (two very different things) of the Holocaust into a framework we can grasp, digest, and empathize with, by exploring the plight of a single family of victims and their encounters with the family of one of their captors. The tragedy and heartbreak that inevitably arise within his story are balanced by the inspiration, hope, and - most of all - the unquenchable humanity to be found within this most inhumane tableau. It's an ambitious book, but Clinch is up to the task, even managing to inject some moments of wry humor as one of his surviving characters rails against the acclaim awarded to an artist with whom he is competing long after the war.
While his previous book, KINGS OF THE EARTH, was almost tactile (olfactory, even) in the impact of the descriptions he used (I swear, sometimes you wanted to take a shower after reading certain passages about the filth and grime in which his characters resided), THIEF is, to me, far more visual in its impact. Clinch's descriptions of two very different artworks that are key to the story are likely to remain embedded in my imagination for years to come. In particular the painting he describes will become so familiar to you, you'll swear you've actually seen it somewhere, despite it being a fictional object.
In short, Clinch keeps getting better and better - read this book to see what I mean. Yes, it will take you to some dark places. But that's no reason to be afraid of it.
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